


Urcye Mhi

by Starofwinter



Series: Quiet 'Verse [1]
Category: Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Gen, Heavy Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-16
Updated: 2017-01-16
Packaged: 2018-09-17 20:18:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,653
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9341543
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Starofwinter/pseuds/Starofwinter
Summary: It was supposed to be a simple mission.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [kristsune](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kristsune/gifts).



> Day 7 of OC Kiss Week - goodbye kiss. Rabble, Ruckus, and Mischief belong to Kristsune! Mando'a translations in hovertext and end notes.
> 
> (This is the start of the Quiet AU.)

“We’re being split up for this one,” Rabble says, and he doesn’t need to see the twist of Mischief’s mouth to know how unhappy he is with the idea.  He doesn’t like it either, but it’s supposed to be a quick, easy mission, and he’ll have Loudmouth to watch his back the whole time.  “It’ll be okay, we’ll be back before you know it.”

Loudmouth picks that time to walk in, and his easy grin and confident swagger speak of his assurance that the mission will go well.   “Ready to go?” he asks, and gives Mischief a little nod, “I’ll take care of him, I promise.”

“Take care of yourself too,” Ruckus says, and Mischief gathers them each in a sideways hug, pressing kisses to their temples as he does, whispering a soft  _ urcye mhi  _ to each of them.  There was no  _ maybe _ , they would always meet again.

* * *

_ It’s an ambush.  Bad intel. _  Those thoughts hit Loudmouth in the same moment he sees the trap they’ve walked into.  They’re completely surrounded by droids, and he knows in a horrible instant that they’re good, but they aren’t  _ that _ good.  He looks over at Rabble with a reckless grin, slinging his blaster off his back.  “Ready, Rab’ika?”  

Rabble grins back at him.  “Always.”  He gives him a nod, and they turn their blasters on the droids.  It’ll be enough.  Not enough to save them, but enough to keep their brothers safe.  With a shout, they both rush into the middle of the valley and spring the trap.  The droids aren’t expecting it, and they cut down two dozen by the time they start firing back.   _ Keep moving.  Keep moving _ .   They keep running, keep shooting, dodge behind rocks and trees and anything that will give them shelter for just a few moments.  It’s not enough.  Loudmouth gets hit first, a stray shot that sends fire screaming through his chest.  He barely feels it, adrenaline surging in his veins.  Manic laughter rings in his ears - his or Rabble’s, he isn’t sure.

“Ib'tuur jatne tuur ash'ad kyr'amur, eh?” Loudmouth calls, a bloody grin on his lips, slamming his back to a rock so he can check his blaster charge.  It’ll be enough.  He’s losing his breath, but he’ll manage for now.  The wave of droids is never-ending, but if they just hold out a little while longer,  _ just a little longer _ , they can stop them.  

Rabble laughs and throws a grenade.  “You know it is!”  He pushes himself off the rock, wading into the middle of the battle once more, Loudmouth right behind him.  There aren’t many left, maybe Rabble can make it out, he thinks, and that thought comforts him a little.  He promised to keep him safe, he can make sure-

Two more bolts hit Rabble in the center of his chest, just below his pauldrons, and the whole galaxy slows down as Loudmouth watches him fall, screaming his name.  All sound and color fades out for a moment as he sees his brother lying on the torn grass, still and suddenly silent.  He swings his blaster up, taking a defensive stance over Rabble, pleading with him not to go, to  _ stay with him, please just stay, please _ .  He feels more bolts striking home in his own body, but he can’t fall, not yet.  Not when there are still more droids.  A bolt sears across his temple, and his HUD goes staticky and dies.  He throws his helmet aside and keeps firing.  He slumps to one knee, choking on his breath and the stink of burned flesh and blood, ozone, and melted metal.  The return fire slows as he cuts down the last of the droids, and he blinks away blood and tears to fire the last few shots, still defending Rabble’s body.  When the last battle droid falls, it’s all Loudmouth can do to turn, gently unfastening his helmet and slipping it off.  “Rabble?” he whispers, “Rab’ika, please wake up…”  His voice is shaky, heavy with fear and grief.

Rabble slowly opens his eyes, a weak smile on his lips.  “‘m awake,” he says, and winces as he coughs, “They’re all scrapped?  Knew you could do it.”

“Couldn’t have done it without you,” he says with a shake of his head, “Come on, I’m gonna get you somewhere a little better, okay?”  It takes everything Loudmouth has to force himself to his feet, and he can’t help the pained cry as he lifts Rabble, half-dragging him to the shelter of the rocks once more.  He slumps down, Rabble laying against his chest, and tries to catch his breath.  The adrenaline is fading, and his whole body is throbbing in pain.  He thinks he blacks out for a second, because he comes to with Rabble’s hand in his, and his panicked voice in his ears as he says his name.  “I’m okay, I’m okay, shh, save your-”  He stops for a second to cough, and the taste of blood fills his mouth.  “Save your strength.  Mischief and Ruckus, they’re gonna be looking for you, just hold on.”  

“You too,” Rabble says, and his breathing is ragged in a way that Loudmouth  _ knows _ means he won’t make it much longer, “You’re one of us.  They’ll come looking for us.  Did I ever tell you about that one time when Ruckus went missing?”  He giggle softly before he has to break off to catch his breath, struggling against the rattle in his chest.  Finally, he slumps back down against his shoulder, and Loudmouth rests his chin on the top of his head.  “Turns out, he fell into a cave system and got lost - took us- took-”  He coughs again, and it takes far longer to catch his breath this time; he squeezes Loudmouth’s hand painfully tight.  “Took us most of a day to find him, because he wandered off.”   

Loudmouth huffs a laugh, though a warmth that has nothing to do with his injuries spreads through his chest as Rabble tells him that he’s one of them.   He smiles a little, and says, “I know, Rab’ika.  I-”  He goes quiet for a second, closing his eyes against the wave of pain that crashes over him.  “I think I know that now.  Was never - never  _ sure _ , y’know?  Didn’t want to intrude, you’re all so close, but I think I get it now.”  

He can’t see the tear that streaks Rabble’s cheek as he says it, but he can hear the smile in his voice.  “I’m glad you finally see it.”

“I love you, vod, I never said it before, but-” it’s so much more of a struggle to draw breath now, but he  _ needs _ Rabble to understand, “You and Chief and Ruck, you mean so much to me, you made it so much easier to- to just-  to  _ be _ , and I never got to thank you for it, but-”

“I know, Lud’ika, I know.”  Ruckus shudders, and he laces their fingers together as Loudmouth closes his eyes.

“I’m tired, Rab’ika,” he finally says.  There’s not much more to say anymore, and he can’t find the energy to manage it either way.

Rabble nods.  “Me too.  I’m here, it's okay-" he takes one more shuddering breath and Loudmouth almost smiles - it's like always when they're sharing a single bunk, falling asleep between one sentence and the next.  He presses a farewell kiss to his brother’s hair before he closes his eyes and lets the same warm, comforting darkness pull him under.

* * *

“Mischief, I found them!”  Ruckus has been following Rabble’s and Loudmouth’s tracks, and as he crests the hill, he can see… oh, kriff, it’s a battlefield.   Countless deactivated droids, every one with a blaster shot, litter the field below, and he can see white and yellow armor, streaked with mud.  He rushes forward, Mischief on his heels, but as he steps around the boulders, he freezes, his breath catching in his chest.  “No-”

Mischief kneels next to them, reaching out a shaking hand to touch Rabble’s cheek.  “Too late,” he whispers, his voice hoarse, before a harsh cry tears from his throat, furious and grieving.  They couldn’t have been more than a few minutes too late to save their brothers, and that’s going to haunt him for the rest of his life.  Ruckus drops to his knees beside him, silent in his own grief, as he touches his forehead to Loudmouth’s.

They don’t move for a long while, Mischief screaming his helpless rage to the skies, Ruckus staring ahead, unseeing.  Finally, he forces himself to move, and rests a hand on Mischief’s shoulder, pulling him from his mourning.  “We need to-” he swallows hard, trying to breathe for a moment, “We need to take care of them.  We can’t leave them here.”  It takes a while, but he gets Mischief to his feet, and they work together in stunned silence to build a pyre.  It isn’t the first time they’ve done it for brothers, but this is different.  They’ve never lost anyone like this before.  

It feels like hours pass as they gather wood and stack it properly - a single pyre; they would want to be together, even in death.  Finally, it’s done, and there’s nothing left but to lay their brothers to rest.  Mischief lifts Rabble, cradling him to his chest like any other time when his brother has fallen asleep somewhere and needed to be carried to bed, while Ruckus lifts Loudmouth just as carefully.  They lay their brothers out on the pyre, blasters on their chests.  Like this, they look so peaceful and  _ young _ .  Ruckus reaches out, brushing Rabble’s hair back to kiss his forehead, as Mischief leans down to do the same to Loudmouth.  “Urcye mhi, vod’ike,” he whispers, before he steps back, standing at attention as Mischief lights the pyre and joins him to stand guard, keeping a final watch over their brothers as tears streak their cheeks in the light of the fire.  

**Author's Note:**

> Urcye mhi - we'll meet again. The standard Mandalorian farewell is ret'urcye mhi, "maybe we'll meet again."  
> Ib'tuur jatne tuur ash'ad kyr'amur - popular Mando saying, "it's a good day for someone else to die."


End file.
